Arlo vs Clay
Arlo and Claycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #15 and Clay #602 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Arlo was ranked #18 and Clay #535 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Arlo was ranked #54 and Clay #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2019, Arlo was ranked #73 and Clay #365 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Arlo and Clay over time
Arlo and Clay appear together in 1 published list, across 26 years of shared records. Arlo held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Clay in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Clay reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Arlo in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Arlo #14 in 2023, Clay #566 in 2021.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys26 shared years, 1999–2024
Arlo held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Clay in 2.
Highest recorded here: Arlo #14 in 2023, Clay #566 in 2021.
The order changed in 2002: Arlo moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #1949 and #1078; by 2002 that had become #848 and #1411.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Arlo #15, Clay #602.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Arlo | Clay |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Meaning uncertain — likely derived by Edmund Spenser from the real Irish place name Aherlow ('between two highlands') for the fictional Arlo Hill in The Faerie Queene (1590). | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑɹ.loʊ/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #47 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #577 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Arlo has a recorded origin (Irish (place name origin, via literary adaptation)); Clay does not have one recorded yet.
- Arlo has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Clay.
- A meaning is recorded for Arlo; Clay doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Arlo
Popularity journey
First recorded1999
First recorded at #2943 among boys in England and Wales in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2013–2023
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 2017 (recorded 2013–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #47 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Clay
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2357 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2017–2019
Highest recorded position: #365 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2019 (recorded 2017–2019).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #577 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys